Car-stake pocket.



G. TLINK.

GAR STAKE POCKET.

APPLICATION I'ILBD NOV. 26, 1910.

Patented Aug. 1, 1911.

INVENTOR Cba/rZesflz'zz MTORNEYS UNTTED STATES PATENT FFTQ 1 CHARLES FLINK, OF IRONWGOD, MICHIGAN.

CAR-STAKE POCKET.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES FLINK, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Ironwood, in the county of Gogeb-ic and State of Michigan, have invented a new and Improved Car-Stake Pocket, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to load-retaining means for vehicles, and especially to means whereby side stakes are positioned upon platform and logging cars, and which may be held in vertical position against the pressure of a load, or may be easily released from a position of safety.

The purpose of this invention is to provide a device of the character described that may be easily constructed and applied to any car, and that will be durable and effective in operation.

A further object is to provide a stake pocket capable of disengaging the stake quickly without time being lost in cutting off the stake close to the pocket, and the consequent removal of the short piece therefrom; and has for a further object the provision of means whereby any form of stake may be used, or in which a particular shaped set of stakes may be carried. I attain these means by providing a pocket upon the side of the platform, and a. sliding gate positioned upon a rod, which gate is adapted to close the poc st and hold the upright stakes in place. This rod is operated at the end of the car by means of a nut working in screwthreads on the end of the rod.

With the above and other objects in view, as will more fully hereinafter appear, the present invention consists in certain novel details of construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompany- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 28, 1910.

Patented Aug. 1, 1911.

Serial No. 594,295.

adjacent parts; Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section taken on the line tt of Fig. 2; and Fig. 5 is an elevation, showing the lower part of a preferred form of stake.

In the drawings is shown a common form of platform A having the sidings B and end pieces C. The projecting edge of the platform A is recessed at l in order to accommodate the stake 2, hereinafter described. Positioned on the sidings B and on opposite sides of the recess 1 are side blocks 3 and t, the opposed faces 5 and 6 of which are inwardly beveled so as to form a pocket wider at the outside than at the side adjacent the siding B. At the lower end of the pocket 8, and held between the side blocks 3 and t, is a block 9, the upper surface of which is beveled downwardly, as shown at 10, and terminates in a shoulder 11. Covering these blocks 3 and t and extending a little below the block 9 are face plates 3 and 4, forming with the shoulder 11, a groove or channel 11 for the reception of a sliding gate 13. These side blocks and face plates are fastened to the siding B by any suitable means, as by means of the bolt connection 7.

Positioned below the block 9 and extending the entire length of the car in order to be positioned beneath the different pockets, is a longitudinal rod 12, to which is rigidly fastened the gate 13, sliding in the groove 11, in order to close the faces of the different pockets. This gate is held to the rod by means of a projecting ear 14, and is fastened thereto by means of a bolt 15. At the end of the car is a projecting bearing or bracket 16, through an aperture in which projects the threaded end 17 of the rod 12. Disposed upon the threaded end 17 is a am nut 18, held in permanent position relatively to the bracket 16 by means of a plate 19, which plate is rigidly fastened to this bracket and has projecting fingers 20 which engage in a groove 21 in the nut 18. It will be seen that by this arrangement the nut 18 may be revolved in place; and this nut working on the screw-threaded end 17 will draw the rod 12, together with the attached gates 13, along the side of the car, and will thereby open and close the pocket. Adapted to be positioned in this pocket 8, and having its end conforming to the shape thereof, are the stakes 2, as shown in Fig. 5, having inwardly-inclined beveled sides 22, and an inwardly-inclined beveled end 23. It will be noted that as many of these stake-holding pockets may be positioned along the side of the car as desired, and that corresponding pockets may be placed opposite these firstmentioned pockets on the other side of the car. The upper end of these stakes may be connected by any suitable means, as by the chain 24. By this means the strain caused by the pressure of the logs, or other bodies, against the gate 13, is largely taken up by this connection 2%, and the gate is relieved from the pressure caused by this leverage.

In unloading cars, especially cars loaded with logs, or other rolling bodies, it is very dangerous for the operator to disconnect the side stakes in common use, as the logs are apt to roll out and injure him. By my improved device, the connection 2st over the logs may be first disconnected and then the operator can release the stakes at a point at the end of the car out of the zone of danger. It will be noted that the stakes are not permanently fastened to the car, so that their operation does not depend upon any hinged joint or other connection which might get out of order, and, in fact, the particular kind of stake here described is not necessary; any form of stick may be cut and inserted into my improved pocket, but, of course, the stake here shown is a preferred form, for the reason that the beveled surface will not offer any resistance to its disconnection with the car when the sliding gate is withdrawn therefrom. This connection 24.- .may be left attached to the stakes 2, in which case it will remain on top of falling logs.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely diiferent embodiments of this inven tion'could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matters contained herein in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is merely intended to cover all the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention, which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween and that materials, sizes and relativities of parts are non-essential, except as called for in the claims.

'Iaving thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a platform, members spaced apart forming a bevelsided pocket on the side of said. platform, a block having a beveled top face and connecting said members and forming the bottom of said pocket, means closing said pocket, and a stake fitting said beveled pocket.

2. In a platform, members spaced apart forming a bevel-sided pocket on the side of said platform, a block having a beveled top face, a groove at the outer end of said block, and closure means movable in said groove.

3. In a load-retaining device, in combination with a load-bearing structure, members having inner beveled faces projecting from the structure and spaced apart, whereby a pocket is formed, wider at the front than at the rear, a post having a beveled end fitting said pocket, and, means retaining said post in said pocket.

4:. In a load-retaining device, a platform having a series of pockets on the side thereof, a rod beneath said pockets and movable longitudinally thereof, and a series of gates rigidly mounted on and projecting up wardly from said rod and adapted to close said pockets.

5. In a load-retaining device, a platform having a series of pockets, a rod adjacent said pockets, pocket closure means on said rod screw-threaded at one end, and a nut mounted on said platform engaging said screw-threaded end, whereby the rotation of the nut will close the pockets.

6. In a platform, means on the side of said platform forming a pocket, a groove block in the bottom of said pocket, slidable closure means movable in the groove, and means operable at a distance from said pocket, whereby the closure means is operated.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES FLINK. l vitnesses Anonr IV. PETERSON, JOHN O. GUSTAFSON.

Conies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

